Some mark the change of season by the changing fashions or weather, but runners mark their calendar with the change from running long and slow to short and fast. After the madness of spring marathons for the past couple of months it’s this time of year that a lot of runners turn their attention to the 10k.

This week I led a training session for 10k runners for the British Heart Foundation with Olympic athlete Louise Hazel. I took the track session and Louise led us in some serious strength and conditioning. For my part we headed to the running track in Regents Park and did some 400m reps followed by some 60m sprints.

Speedwork is (as the name suggests) great for making you faster and stronger. But heading to a running track for the first time can be a scary prospect. I wanted to show the runners, many of whom had never been to a track to train before, that there really is nothing to be scared of.

You might think that everyone is looking at you and thinking ‘who are they? what are they doing here? look how slow they are?’ but in reality, everyone is just looking at the couple of meters in front of their own face. I mentioned this to Louise who said that these are fears that people have – no matter what level of athlete they are.

If you want to inject some speedwork into your sessions, you don’t need a running track – any measured stretch will work. The benefits of the track, though, are that you have a flat surface free from trip hazards and (hopefully) dogs and kids on bikes to make running fast a bit less stressful.

Within a few laps you’ll realise that everyone there is too busy worrying about finishing their own workout to be bothered about what you’re doing or wearing. Just remember that the inside lane is for running fast and the outer lanes for recovery, and (like driving or cycling) don’t change lanes without checking behind you first.

Running fast can cause injuries if you don’t do it properly though. If you’ve never done speedwork before, look up your local running club or group. Warm up properly (there should be one included in the session – if there isn’t run away) and listen to what’s being instructed. Don’t let your ego get in the way and run at a pace that’s right for you – don’t just run at the speed everyone else is running.

If you’re looking for a 10k to take on this summer, The BHF’s 2014 London Runs are:

• Tower of London Run – Wednesday 7 May;

• Canary Wharf Jog – Wednesday 21 May;

• Victoria Park Run – Sunday 3 August;

• Greenwich Royal Park Run – Saturday 16 August;

• Hyde Park Run – Saturday 4 October.

So lace up those trainers, do some stretches and get running!

Visit bhf.org.uk/londonruns to register.